95 C4 993

I've been checking out vrbo for a place to rent. I dont think we are going to stay at the Westin---like the idea of being in the heart of Venice.

Reddy Kilowatt

There are tons of little places to stay in Venice. I wish I remembered where we stayed. Cool city.

Denise993

This is where I stayed in Venice... the prices at the time were good (2 yrs ago) and the rooms were fine. It was an older hotel, but very functional and the breakfast was great! You can pay more to overlook the grand canal and that was really great to just watch the comings and going in the morning.

HOTEL LOCANDA OVIDIUS
RIALTO - SAN POLO, CALLE DEL STURION, 677/A, 30125 VENEZIA - ITALIA
PHONE: +39 041 523 79 70 - FAX: +39 041 520 41 01
EMAIL: info@hotellocandaovidius.com
WEB: www.hotellocandaovidius.com

Greg Fishman

I had figured because the ride is so stiff that it was closer to something like 41R 36F but it wasn't - it was exactly as Steve said... 36R 34F.

Steve,
Lots and lots of posts and many thread wars over this. Most have agreed that 41 R is way too high, you will ruin your tires quickly and the car will handle and ride badly. If you look at the recommendation for cars with 17" or 16" wheels the pressure is more in line with what Steve recommended.
41 in the rear tires will make for a bone jarring ride.

Full Boost

OT - but did you see the thickness of those discs on that trian that Andreas posted?

WOOHOO!!

Seriously ventilated

95 C4 993

I booked at the Hotel Al Ponte Antico--just up the canal (not far at all) from the place you mentioned. Views of the Rialto Bridge from the hotel.

http://www.alponteantico.com/en/index.htm

AOW162435

Must be Zimmerman's - I see some rust.


Andreas

Full Boost

quasr

I also sometimes wonder if the upgrade was the right choice, until I take a corner at high speed and my 993 sticks like glue with no sway. It is then I am happy I upgraded the suspension. I will try Steve W's tire pressure suggestion. By the way, I am still very happy with the performance chip I purchased from him.

Steve 96C4S

Since we're so totally off topic at this point, I'll add in my fave for Venice, great owners and VERY reasonable for what you get. We loved it here...

http://www.locandaorseolo.com/en/






On a 993 note, I am excited about keeping the 993 now am taking it to my indie tomorrow am. Hope he gets it closer to where I'd like it to be. If he can't, I'll just relegate it as my weekend, fun car and drive it outside the confines of the rutted, scary roads of Washington DC. Or, if I do decide to travel into DC, I'll just deal with the ultra stiff ride while going over the multitudes of bumps, just waiting for that curvy off ramp coming from Constitution Ave back to the bridge that takes you to the George Washington Pkwy. It's a great time for feeling the curve of the road and the handling of the car.

If any Rennlisters are still tuned into this thread that are still interested, I'll post the results of my visit to my indie tomorrow. He's the best mechanic in our area so I'm confident this is all going to work out well in the end.

AOW162435

Steve,
If you want me to fax my alignment settings to Taylor, let me know. You'll want the front end brought up about 1/2" inch - I can let you know my height later today. Your rear suspension is at exactly the same height as mine.

I now have around 13,000 miles on my set of Continentals - let him know that you would like to maximize tire life (with respect to your alignment settings).


Andreas

Steve 96C4S

That would be great if you could do that. Thanks. I will mention the tire life thing too.

TRINITONY

Steve - instead of Const' to the Parkway, take E street EXP to South West Freeway, to Canal Rd, to Clara Barton to home...way way more fun. and much quicker, so save at least 15 mins..

Paul902

Steve - great attitude. I hope the retuning of the suspension setup gives you something you can truely enjoy!

Quadcammer

GET AN ALIGNMENT.

I swear to all that is holy, this has been mentioned about 993 times in this thread, yet it seems to be overlooked. Your alignment is pretty aggressive for the type of driver you seem to be.

now that this is out of the way, I can talk to you a bit about the S55 and W220 Mercedes in general.

The w220 is really a wonderful vehicle. It is incredibly smooth, very quiet, and super easy to drive. I only have an S500 because I don't need more power in this type of vehicle, but it is quick enough for me. The drivetrains are also quite solid. The 55k engine is seemingly bulletproof, but there have been issues with the blower clutches, and the blower in general. That can certainly get expensive, but keep in mind that a lot of these engines were placed in E55s, which people seem to abuse like redheaded stepchildren. The 5 speed 722.6 transmission has been around since I believe 1998 and is quite strong, with no issues besides a slight leak in an electrical connector (which is rare in later model cars, i.e. after 2002). The remainder of the drivetrain and steering are fine.

The S55 will come with the Active Body Control suspension. Unlike the S500, which has the air suspension airmatic, the ABC is a complex system of extremely high pressure powersteering fluid that controls each wheel of the car independently. This causes the big boat of a car to stay relatively flat during cornering, and have fairly decent handling (for a car that weights 4500lbs). The ABC valve block can get clogged/fail and that can be expensive, but that is also a fairly uncommon failure. Aside from that, with regular maintenance (fluid changes) the ABC suspension is fairly reliable. Some have had to replace lines, but they are not terribly expensive. The powersteering pump is used to create pressure in the suspension, and they are not hatefully expensive. Claims of "every problem costs $4k to fix" are overblown and the result of anecdotal stories where an owner isn't expecting an expensive repair, and dumps it because "it was so expensive to fix and unreliable".

Now, keep in mind that these cars have a lot of electronics. TPMS, heated/cooled/massaging/dynamic seats, sensors for every fluid and system, etc. These can cause problems and can be somewhat expensive to fix. But only in extremely rare instances do these issues cause a condition where the car can not be driven. Typically, shutting the car off and restarting will cure "phantom errors" that do pop up on occasion.

These cars are not as expensive or hard to fix as people think. The engine is just a blown 5.5 3v v8. No magic. The electronics operate on a Can-Bus which can be a bit confusing, but actually makes things pretty easy since you don't have to chase wires all throughout the car. A good indie mechanic, and www.parts.com for huge discounts on parts can have you going for a lot less than a dealer.

Warranties are awesome, but $3k per year is more than enough to keep an S55 running well without issue. Maintenance is literally moron simple and infrequent, and aside from that, if you have some savings for a "bigger problem", when it crops up every 2 years or so, its not problem.

I wouldn't discount an S55, but I would try to get one with a warranty for at least a few months to a year. That way you can get an idea of what problems you might run into without taking the hit in the wallet. That said, you should definitely look at an 04-06 because of better quality, materials, and some advantages like DVD based navigation.

Hopefully that gives you a better idea of what you are looking for. I think having my extreme mustang cobra that is loud, rides hard, and is fast as hell, combined with the smooth, quiet, comfortable S-class is a really nice combination.